Introduction

The mission of the New York Makes Work Pay (NYMWP) project is to involve the whole community in improving employment outcomes and increasing the financial independence of New Yorkers with disabilities. This report for Rensselaer County is part of a series of county-level reports, developed as part of NYMWP. The report focuses on the working-age population (18-64 years old, except where noted) presenting relevant and current information on disability and employment, providing our community of stakeholders a better understanding of where we are now, as we continue to work toward improving outcomes for individual with disabilities.
Specifically, the report includes: 1) estimates of disability prevalence overall and among specific groups; 2) indications of where disparities exist between people with and without disabilities in employment rate, educational attainment, and financial status; and 3) characteristics of Rensselaer County which may influence employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

The report presents estimates primarily based on the American Community Survey (ACS) for the time period of 2008-2010. When this report was written in February, 2012, this was the most recent time period for which detailed data on disability statistics was available. Further information on all data sources is presented with the tables in the Appendix.

Disability Prevalence

The working-age population of Rensselaer County is an estimated 102,400, of whom approximately 10,900, or 10.7%, report having one or more disabilities.2

The prevalence of disability in Rensselaer County is greater than3 the New York State average, where 8.5% report having a disability, and similar to the national average of 10.0%. Map 1 presents the disability prevalence rate (the percentage of people reporting a disability) in each county in New York State with Rensselaer County highlighted. Rensselaer County has the 32nd highest prevalence of disability among the 60 counties for which estimates are available in New York State.4[Table 1 in the Appendix contains additional details on disability prevalence by county.]

Another subpopulation of interest is veterans with service-connected disabilities (See Glossary for definition). In Rensselaer County, there are 13,400 civilian veterans 18 years and older, of whom 12.3% have a service-connected disability.

Comparing the Status of People With and Without Disabilities on Key Indicators

Employment Rate

In Rensselaer County, the employment rate for working-age people with disabilities is 42.3%, compared to 78.7% for people without disabilities, a gap of 36.4%.

The corresponding New York State employment rates are 42.3% and 73.9%, resulting in a gap of 40.3%. Compared with other counties in New York State, Rensselaer County has the 9th highest employment rate for people with disabilities out of 60 counties, and the 7th highest employment rate for people without disabilities.5 In Rensselaer County, an estimated 710 (6.5%) people with disabilities (age 18-64) are not working but are actively looking for work. [Table 4 in the Appendix contains additional details on the employment situation.]

The employment rate varies a great deal by disability type. In Rensselaer County, the employment rate is highest for people with a hearing disability (59.4%) and lowest for people with a self-care disability (22.2%). Statewide, the employment rate is highest for people with a hearing disability (50.6%) and lowest for people with an independent living disability (16.7%). [Table 3 in the Appendix contains additional details on employment rate by disability type.]

Employment rates often vary across different groups. In Rensselaer County, the employment rate for women with disabilities (41.0%) is similar to3 the rate for men with disabilities (51.1%).

It is also of interest to look more closely at characteristics of people who are not working. Figure 2 shows the distribution of work history for people with and without disabilities who are not working. In Rensselaer County, 17.4% of people with disabilities who are not working were employed within the last year, compared to 37.3% of people without disabilities. [Table 6 in the Appendix contains additional details on people who are not working.]

Educational Attainment

In Rensselaer County, among working-age people with disabilities, 22.1% are not high school graduates, compared to 6.3% of people without disabilities.

Employment and earnings are both related to educational attainment; that is, people with higher educational attainment are more likely to be employed, earn more, and avoid poverty.6 Therefore, it is important to be aware of differences in educational attainment that might affect employment rates. As can be seen in Figure 3, among people with disabilities in Rensselaer County, 32.3% have only a high school diploma, compared with 28.9% of people without disabilities. While 7.9% of people with disabilities have a bachelor's degree or higher, 29.5% of people without disabilities have this level of educational attainment. [Table 7 in the Appendix contains additional details on educational attainment.]

Figure 4 presents employment rates by educational attainment in Rensselaer County. Generally, as educational attainment increases, the employment rate among working-age people increases, but the disparity between people with and without disabilities often persists. Among people with less than a high school degree, 30.6% of people with disabilities are employed compared with 62.0% without disabilities. For those who have a bachelor's degree or higher the employment rates are 66.5% and 86.7%, respectively. [Table 9 in the Appendix contains additional details on employment rate by educational attainment.]

In New York State, the poverty rate for people with disabilities (28.6%) is close to 2.5 times the rate for people without disabilities (11.5%). Poverty status is determined as a function of household income, family size, and age composition.7 This calculation does not take into account the additional expenses that may be associated with disability such as accessible housing or assistive technology.8 In Rensselaer County, the median household income for households that include any working-age people with disabilities is $40,900 compared to $65,800 for households that have no working-age people with disabilities. [Table 8 in the Appendix contain additional details on household income.]

The poverty rate varies across different types of disability. In Rensselaer County, the highest poverty rate is among people with a cognitive disability (29.6%) and the lowest poverty rate is among people with a hearing disability (7.4%). Statewide, the poverty rate is highest for people with a cognitive disability (35.3%) and lowest for people with a hearing disability (20.1%) [Table 3 in the Appendix contains additional details on poverty status by type of disability.]

In Rensselaer County, only 25.8% of persons with disabilities are working full-time/full-year (35 hours/week for 50 weeks or more a year) compared with 55.3% of those without disabilities. As shown in Figure 6, when looking at the median earnings of only full-time/full-year workers, the median income for people with disabilities is $37,100, compared with $45,300 for people without disabilities. This compares to statewide income levels of $38,800 and $45,700, respectively. [Tables 7, 8 and 9 in the Appendix contain additional details on financial status and educational attainment.]

Figure 6. Median income for full-time/full-year workers (in 1,000s of dollars) in Rensselaer County (Data Table for Figure 6)

Personal Relationships

In Rensselaer County, 42.2% of working-age people with disabilities are married compared to 49.4% of people without disabilities.

Marital status is recommended for monitoring by the National Council on Disability, as it is considered a key economic indicator.9 In New York State, 36.7% of people with disabilities are married compared to 49.3% of those without disabilities. The relationship between marital status and financial status is clear when observing that in New York State, people who are not married are 2.9 times more likely to be living below the poverty line than their married counterparts. A person who is married or in a committed relationship may have higher levels of emotional and other informal supports, improving their quality of life. For example, they may share responsibilities for things such housework and rent with their partner. [Table 7 in the Appendix contains additional details on marital status.]

Other Factors That May Influence Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities in Rensselaer County

One of the greatest barriers to employment for people both with and without disabilities is local job availability. Rensselaer County has the 34th highest employment growth out of 62 counties statewide and the 40th highest rate of hiring.10

Receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can be a major work disincentive for people with disabilities. When considering returning to work, they may face loss not only of SSI's cash benefits, but also health insurance through Medicaid or Medicare. In Rensselaer County, 20.2% of people with disabilities receive SSI, compared to 22.3% statewide.

The Medicaid Buy-in for Working Persons with a Disability (MBI-WPD) Program13 is an important health insurance option for people with disabilities. In Rensselaer County, an estimated 3,900 people are potentially eligible for this program, which is limited to persons age 16-64 with a disability who are US citizens, are not SSI beneficiaries, and live in households at 250% or less of the poverty level.

Among people with disabilities, lack of transportation is often noted as a barrier to employment. Access to public transportation may reduce that barrier. In Rensselaer County, 3.8% of people take public transportation to work, compared to 26.6% statewide. The average time to work in Rensselaer County, 22.6 minutes, is lower than the statewide average (31.4 minutes). [Table 10 in the Appendix contains additional details on county level factors.]

Conclusion

We have presented information from a variety of sources to demonstrate the current status of disability and employment in Rensselaer County, including information on disability prevalence, employment rates, and financial security, as well as factors that may influence the employment situation. Improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities is critical to improving the financial independence of New Yorkers with disabilities. With this relevant and current information on disability and employment in Rensselaer County, stakeholders will be better equipped to guide policy designed to improve the outcomes and quality of life for individuals with disabilities.

2The 2008-2010 ACS uses six questions to identify the population with disabilities. A disability is defined as an affirmative response to one or more of the six disability questions (see Glossary for full text of disability questions). For more information on the ACS see the following website: www.census.gov/acsGo back

3All comparisons (i.e., X is greater than Y; X is lower than Y; or X is similar to Y) that are presented in the text are based on a statistical test (with results of significantly higher, lower or no significant difference, respectively) conducted at 0.10 significance level.
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4ACS estimates for Hamilton and Schuyler counties are not available, therefore only 60 counties are included in this comparison. Estimates for these counties presented in Map 1 are based on a larger geographic areas called a Public Use MicroSample Area (PUMA). The estimates for Hamilton County use data combined across Clinton County, Essex County, Franklin County, Hamilton County. Hamilton County only accounts for only about 3% of the population of this PUMA. And estimates for Schuyler County are based on data from both Chemung County and Schuyler County. Schuyler accounts for only about 18% of this PUMA. For more information about county to PUMA mappings: http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/census/Features/puma2cnty/Go back

5ACS estimates for Hamilton and Schuyler counties are not available at the county level. Therefore only 60 counties are included in this comparison.
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7The poverty measure is computed based upon the standards defined in Directive 14 from the Office of Management and Budget. These standards use poverty thresholds created in 1982 and index these thresholds to 2010 dollars using poverty factors based upon the Consumer Price Index. They use the family as the income sharing unit and family income is the sum of total income from each family member living in the household. The poverty threshold depends upon the size of the family; the age of the householder; and the number of related children under the age of 18.
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8She, P. and Livermore. G. (2006). Material hardship, disability, and poverty among working-age adults. Cornell University: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Economic Research on Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities: Research Brief. Retrieved 9/24/2009 from digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/edicollect/1223Go back

9National Council on Disability (April 2008). Keeping Track: National Disability Status and Program Performance Indicators. Washington, DC: NCD.
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10These data are from the Quarterly Workforce Indicators. The rates are from the third quarter of 2009, and include people age 14-99. The hiring rate is the count of all hires divided by the average employment count. The employment growth rate is the difference between the count of hires and the count of separations, divided by the average employment count. More information about QWI data is available at: lehd.did.census.gov/led/datatools/qwi-online.htmlGo back

Table 1. County-level Disability Prevalence Rates for New York State (click to expand)

County

Disability Prevalance (%)

Margin of Error

Albany

8.9

0.1

Allegany

11.1

1.0

Bronx

12.6

0.4

Broome

11.8

0.8

Cattaraugus

12.1

1.0

Cayuga

10.1

1.1

Chautauqua

12.1

0.9

Chemung

13.1

1.3

Chenango

14.0

1.5

Clinton

12.2

1.3

Columbia

9.6

1.2

Cortland

8.9

1.3

Delaware

12.9

1.6

Dutchess

10.2

0.7

Erie

10.5

0.4

Essex

11.3

2.0

Franklin

12.0

1.2

Fulton

13.9

1.5

Genesee

10.6

1.3

Greene

10.7

1.8

Hamilton

11.7

0.9

Herkimer

11.6

1.2

Jefferson

12.3

1.2

Kings

7.1

0.2

Lewis

11.0

1.8

Livingston

8.9

1.1

Madison

8.3

1.0

Monroe

10.7

0.5

Montgomery

13.4

1.6

Nassau

5.8

0.2

New York

6.8

0.2

Niagara

11.2

0.8

Oneida

13.4

0.8

Onondaga

9.5

0.5

Ontario

9.3

1.0

Orange

10.3

0.6

Orleans

12.1

1.8

Oswego

11.8

0.9

Otsego

11.3

1.3

Putnam

7.2

1.0

Queens

6.8

0.2

Rensselaer

10.7

0.9

Richmond

7.9

0.5

Rockland

5.8

0.5

St. Lawrence

13.3

1.2

Saratoga

7.1

0.6

Schenectady

9.0

0.9

Schoharie

11.6

1.8

Schuyler

13.0

1.1

Seneca

12.0

1.6

Steuben

13.0

1.1

Suffolk

6.7

0.2

Sullivan

13.6

1.4

Tioga

10.5

1.4

Tompkins

6.9

0.9

Ulster

11.3

1.0

Warren

9.7

1.2

Washington

9.7

1.1

Wayne

11.3

1.2

Westchester

6.2

0.3

Wyoming

10.9

1.5

Yates

9.4

2.1

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old) and were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) estimates downloaded from the American Fact Finder (factfinder.census.gov).

Estimates for Hamilton and Schuyler counties are not available at the county level. Estimates for these counties presented in the interactive map and table are based on a larger geographic areas called a Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA). The estimates for Hamilton County use data combined across Clinton County, Essex County, Franklin County, and Hamilton County. Hamilton County only accounts for only about 3% of the population of this PUMA. And estimates for Schuyler County are based on data from both Chemung County and Schuyler County. Schuyler accounts for only about 18% of this PUMA

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old) and were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) estimates downloaded from the American Fact Finder (factfinder.census.gov). A "-" indicates that no statistically reliable data were available.

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old). Prevalence and employment rates were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) estimates downloaded from the American Fact Finder (factfinder2.census.gov) Poverty rates were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file.

Table 4. Employment Rates, Poverty Rates and Health Insurance Coverage for People with and without Disabilities in Rensselaer County (click to expand)

People with Disabilities

People without Disabilities

Percent (%)

Margin of Error

Percent (%)

Margin of Error

Employed (i.e., employment rate)

42.3

4.7

78.7

1.9

Not employed, actively looking for work

6.5

2.1

5.3

0.8

Not employed, not looking for work

51.1

23.0

16.0

1.1

Poverty rate

19.6

4.1

10.1

1.5

With health insurance

93.8

9.5

88.8

1.7

With public health insurance (e.g., Medicare or Medicaid)

52.8

6.9

11.2

1.3

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old) and were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) estimates downloaded from the American Fact Finder (factfinder.census.gov). A "-" indicates that no statistically reliable data were available.

Table 5. Employment Rates for People with and without Disabilities by various Demographic Characteristics in Rensselaer County (click to expand)

People with Disabilities

People without Disabilities

Employment Rate (%)

Margin of Error

Employment Rate (%)

Margin of Error

Sex

Male

51.1

8.0

80.3

2.3

Female

41.0

8.3

77.7

2.4

Race/Ethnicity

White alone

46.6

6.4

79.4

1.7

African American/Black alone

-

-

79.2

8.5

American Indian/Native Alaskan alone

-

-

-

-

Asian alone

-

-

70.7

11.1

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander alone

-

-

-

-

Other race alone

-

-

-

-

Two or more races

54.3

20.3

75.0

10.9

Hispanic or Latino

-

-

60.1

11.0

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old). Estimates were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file. A "-" indicates that no statistically reliable data were available.

Table 6. Work History of People in Rensselaer County who are Not Working (click to expand)

People with Disabilities

People without Disabilities

Percent

Margin of Error

Percent

Margin of Error

Work History

Employed in last 12 months

17.4

6.5

37.3

4.6

Employed in the last 1-5 years

30.7

7.9

29.0

4.3

Employed more than 5 years ago or never employed

51.9

8.5

33.7

4.5

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population, age 18-64 years old. Work history estimates were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file.

Data Sources: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old) and were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file.

Households that do Not Include any Working-age People with Disabilities

Median

Margin of Error

Median

Margin of Error

Household Income

$40,900

$15,300

$65,800

$7,600

Data Source: Estimates were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files. Estimates are for households that include at least one civilian, non-institutionalized working-age person (18-64 years old).

Table 9. Employment Rates for People with and without Disabilities by Educational Attainment in Rensselaer County (click to expand)

People with Disabilities

People without Disabilities

Percent

Margin of Error

Percent

Margin of Error

Employed

Less than HS

30.6

13.1

62.0

9.0

High school graduate

42.9

11.7

76.6

3.7

Some college or Associate degree

54.2

10.9

77.5

3.3

Bachelors or higher

66.5

22.6

86.7

2.9

Data Source: Estimates are for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old) and were calculated using American Community Survey three-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files.

Table 10. Characteristics that May Influence Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities in Rensselaer County (click to expand)

Rensselaer County

Margin of Error

New York State

Margin of Error

Percent of people with disabilities receiving SSI benefits

20.2

4.7

22.3

51.1

Mean travel time to work (in minutes)

22.6

0.7

31.4

0.1

Percent of workers who take public transportation

3.8

0.7

26.6

0.1

Employment growth rate (percent of average employment)

-0.5

N/A

-0.3

N/A

Hiring rate (percent of average employment)

19.1

N/A

19.0

N/A

Data Sources: The percent of people with disabilities receiving SSI was calculated for the civilian, non-institutionalized working-age population (18-64 years old) using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files.

Travel time to work and Percent of workers who take public transportation were calculated using American Community Survey three-year (2008-2010) estimates downloaded from the American Fact Finder (factfinder2.census.gov). The estimates of Travel time to work and Percent who take public transportation are based on workers 16 years and older.

Employment growth rate and Hiring rate are from the Quarterly Workforce Indicators. The rates are from the third Quarter of 2009, and include people age 14-99. The Hiring rate is the count of all hires divided by the average employment count. The employment growth rate is the difference between the count of hires and the count of separations, divided by the average employment count. More information about QWI data is available at: lehd.did.census.gov/led/datatools/qwi-online.html.

Ambulatory Disability

This disability type is based on the question (asked of persons ages 5 or older): Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?

American Community Survey

The ACS is a continuous data collection effort conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that is used to produce annual estimates at the national, state and local level on the characteristics of the United States population, replacing the decennial Census long form. The ACS collects information on an annual basis from approximately 3 million addresses in the United States, a 2.5 percent of the population living in group quarters and 36,000 addresses in Puerto Rico.

Cognitive Disability

This disability type is based on the question (asked of persons ages 5 or older): Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

Disability and Disability Types

The ACS definition of disability is based on six questions. A person is coded as having a disability if he or she or a proxy respondent answers affirmatively for one or more of these six categories.

Hearing Disability (asked of all ages): Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing?

Visual Disability (asked of all ages): Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?

Cognitive Disability (asked of persons ages 5 or older): Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

Ambulatory Disability (asked of persons ages 5 or older): Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?

Self-care Disability (asked of persons ages 5 or older): Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing?

Independent Living Disability (asked of persons ages 15 or older): Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

Earnings

Earnings are defined as wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, or tips from all jobs including self-employment income (NET income after business expenses) from own nonfarm businesses or farm businesses, including proprietorships and partnerships.

Educational Attainment

Our definition is based on the responses to the question: "What is the highest degree or level of school this person has completed? If currently enrolled, mark the previous grade or highest degree received." Our category "high school diploma/equivalent" includes those marking the ACS option "Regular high school diploma — GED or alternative credential." Our category "Some college/Associate's degree" includes those marking the ACS options: some college credit, but less than 1 year of college credit; one or more years of college credit but no degree, or "Associate's degree (for example: AA, AS)." Our category "a Bachelor's or more" includes those marking the ACS options: "Bachelor's degree (for example: BA, BS)"; "Master's degree (for example: MA, MS, MEng, MEd, MSW, MBA)"; "Professional degree (for example: MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD)"; or "Doctorate degree (for example: PhD, EdD)." Note in 2008 changes were made to some of the response categories and the layout of this question.

Employment

A person is considered employed if he or she is either

a. "at work": those who did any work at all during the reference week as a paid employee (worked in his or her own business or profession, worked on his or her own farm, or worked 15 or more hours as an unpaid worker on a family farm or business) or

b. were "with a job but not at work," : had a job but temporarily did not work at that job during the reference week due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation or other personal reasons. The reference week is defined as the week preceding the date the questionnaire was completed.

Full-Time/Full-Year Employment

A person is considered employed full-time/full-year if he or she worked 35 hours or more per week (full-time) and 50 or more weeks per year (full-year). The reference period is defined as the 12 months preceding the date the questionnaire was completed. Note: this does not signify whether a person is eligible for fringe benefits. The question and response categories regarding weeks worked per year was changed in 2008.

Gender

Based on the question: "What is this person’s sex?" Responses include male and female.

Health Insurance Coverage

Is based on the following question: Is this person CURRENTLY covered by any of the following types of health insurance or health coverage plans? Mark "Yes" or "No" for EACH type of coverage in items a – h.

a. Insurance through a current or former employer or union (of this person or another family member)

b. Insurance purchased directly from an insurance company (by this person or another family member)

c. Medicare, for people 65 and older, or people with certain disabilities

d. Medicaid, Medical Assistance, or any kind of government-assistance plan for those with low incomes or a disability

e. VA (including those who have ever used or enrolled for VA health care)

f. TRICARE or other military health care

g. Indian Health Service

h. Any other type of health insurance or health coverage plan – Specify (Note: "Other type" were recoded into one of the categories a-g by the Census Bureau)

Hearing Disability

This disability type is based on the question (asked of all ages): Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing?

Hispanic or Latino Origin

People of Hispanic or Latino origin are those who classify themselves in a specific Hispanic or Latino category in response to the question, “Is this person Spanish/Hispanic/Latino?” Specifically, those of Hispanic or Latino origin are those who are Cuban; Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano; Puerto Rican; or other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino. Origin may be the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race.

Household Income

Household Income is defined as the total income of a household including: wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, or tips from all jobs; self-employment income (NET income after business expenses) from own non-farm or farm businesses, including proprietorships and partnerships; interest, dividends, net rental income, royalty income, or income from real estates and trusts; Social Security or Railroad Retirement; Supplemental Security Income; any public assistance or welfare payments from the state or local welfare office; retirement, survivor or disability pensions; and any other regularly received income (e.g., Veterans' payments, unemployment compensation, child support or alimony). Median household income is calculated with the household as the unit of analysis, using household weights without adjusting for household size.

Independent Living Disability

This disability type is based on the question (asked of persons ages 15 or older): Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?

Margin of Error (MOE)

Survey data, such as data from the ACS or CPS, is based on a sample, and therefore statistics derived from this data are subject to sampling variability. The margin of error (MOE) is a measure of the degree of sampling variability. In a random sample, the degree of sampling variation is determined by the underlying variability of the phenomena being estimated (e.g., income) and the size of the sample (i.e., the number of survey participants used to calculate the statistic). The smaller the margin of error, the lower the sampling variability and the more "precise" the estimate. A margin of error is the difference between an estimate and its upper or lower confidence bounds. Confidence bounds are calculated by adding the (MOE) to the estimate (upper bound) and subtracting the (MOE) from the estimate (lower bound). When confidence bounds are calculated using a 90% MOE, there is a 90% certainty that the actual value lies somewhere between the upper and lower confidence bounds.

Median

A median is often used instead of an average to characterize the incomes of people in the population. Median income is the amount which divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having incomes above the median, half having incomes below the median. We use median income instead of average income because average income can be influence by extreme income amounts of a few people in the population.

Not Working But Actively Looking For Work

A person is defined as not working but actively looking for work if he or she reports not being employed but has been ACTIVELY looking for work during the last four weeks.

Poverty

The poverty measure is computed based upon the standards defined in Directive 14 from the Office of Management and Budget. These standards use poverty thresholds created in 1982 and index these thresholds to 2008 dollars using poverty factors based upon the Consumer Price Index. They use the family as the income sharing unit and family income is the sum of total income from each family member living in the household. The poverty threshold depends upon the size of the family; the age of the householder; and the number of related children under the age of 18.

Prevalence

The percentage or number of persons reporting disabilities. The percentage (prevalence rate) is calculated by dividing the number of people reporting a disability by the total number of people in the population.

Race

Our race categories are based on the question, "[w]hat is this person’s race? Mark (X) one or more races to indicate what this person considers himself/herself to be." Responses include the following: White; Black or African-American; American Indian or Alaska Native (print name of enrolled or principal tribe); Asian Indian; Chinese; Filipino; Japanese; Korean; Vietnamese; Other Asian (Print Race); Native Hawaiian; Guamanian or Chamarro; Samoan; Other Pacific Islander (Print Race Below); Some other race (print race below). Other race also contains people who report more than one race.

Self-Care Disability

This disability type is based on the question (asked of persons ages 5 or older): 17c. Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing?

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

A person is defined as receiving SSI payments if he or she reports receiving SSI income in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Veteran Service-Connected Disability

A disease or injury determined to have occurred in or to have been aggravated by military service. A disability is evaluated according to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities in Title 38, CFR, and Part 4. Extent of disability is expressed as a percentage from 0% (for conditions that exist but are not disabling to a compensable degree) to 100%, in increments of 10%. This information was determined by the following two part question: